Psychiatry: Diagnosis, Treatment and Human Experience

This Psychiatry hub gathers Andrew T. Austin’s writings on diagnosis, psychosis, schizophrenia, depression, suicide, drugs, ECT, grief, body image, care systems and the politics of psychiatric practice.

Schizophrenia & Psychosis

Schizophrenia An overview of presentations and common misunderstandings.

Paranoid Schizophrenia Focusing on persecutory themes and suspicion.

Catatonic Schizophrenia Examining movement changes and clinical challenges.

Disorganised Schizophrenia Disorganisation of thought, affect, and behaviour.

NLP Time Coding Linking NLP models of time with schizophrenic experience.

Problematic Communications Breakdown of clarity and the “Double Bind” in complex systems.

Depression, Grief & Body Image

Manic Depression (Bipolar) Cycling mood and the experience of mania.

Hierarchy of Grief How some losses are socially “ranked” as more legitimate.

Body Dysmorphia Distorted image, obsessional focus, and shame.

The Question of “How?” Reflection on the nature of distress and understanding.

Drugs & Biological Psychiatry

The Serotonin Hypothesis Unpacking the “chemical imbalance” narrative.

ECT / Electroshock How ECT is carried out and its clinical impact.

ECT: Old and New Info Revisiting electroshock in light of new data.

History of Lobotomy Psychosurgery, its rise, fall, and ethical legacy.

Institutional & Political Critique

Psychiatry Overview Critique of the psychiatric enterprise.

Psychiatry Rant I Commentary on psychiatric practice and culture.

Care Worker Syndromes How caregivers become distorted by the system.

The House on the Hill Reflections on institutional life and its impact.